Why Agents Don’t Want to Meet with You

Do you know why agents don’t want to meet with you?

I don’t mean you specifically. I mean in general, do you know the main reasons agents resist agreeing to recruiting appointments?

I’m asking because understanding those reasons is critical to recruiting.

Only when you know why agents don’t want to meet can you prepare strategies, scripts, and dialogs to overcome their resistance.

Reason They Resist #1 - They Don’t Trust You

No one likes to sit through a high-pressure sales pitch. And when agents don’t trust you, they’re apt to believe your recruiting appointment will be nothing more than a lengthy presentation followed by an aggressive attempt to close them.

I’m going to assume that’s not the way you handle your appointments.

So, earn agents’ trust by making it clear upfront the recruiting appointment will focus on them and their needs. That you’ll respect their time by treating the meeting as a consultation and not as a sales pitch.

You might also consider offering a guarantee.

For example, you could tell agents you’ll give them a gift card to their favorite restaurant if, after meeting with you, they feel the appointment was a waste of time.

Few things signal agents can trust you like offering a guarantee.

Reason They Resist #2 - They Feel Guilty

Agents who have a close relationship with their broker or colleagues often see agreeing to a recruiting appointment as an act of betrayal. They feel they’d be “cheating” by meeting with you.

If you’ve ever had an agent agree to a recruiting appointment and then cancel a short time later, you’ve come across this issue.

The key to overcoming agents’ feelings of guilt is to position the meeting as an opportunity for them to know their options should something change with their current situation.

I’m a fan of using the spare tire analogy.

“Mrs. Agent, think of us like a spare tire. As you travel down the road of real estate, you may never have a ‘blowout’ that would require you to change companies. But if you do have that blowout, wouldn’t you rather have a spare tire handy than end up stranded on the side of the road?”

Reason They Resist #3 - They Think They Know Your Company

Curiosity is one of the most powerful motivators for agents to want to meet with you.

Unfortunately, if you’ve been in your market long enough, some agents will think they know what your company offers (or doesn’t offer).

Maybe those agents have it right and maybe they have it wrong, but if they think they know you the curiosity factor is gone. And that makes persuading them to meet exponentially harder.

So, invest some time to find out how you’re perceived in the market. Know what your prospects think about you and know what your competitors say about you.

Then, reactivate your prospects’ curiosity by pointing out any misperceptions about you and telling the prospects how surprised they’ll be to discover what you really offer.

Drew

P.S. – You might notice I left one obvious reason off the list: The agents resist because they’re happy.

Agents who are 100% happy with their current company are rare. And the only thing you can do to recruit them is stay in touch over time with the hope of catching them if they become unhappy.

Most agents who claim to be happy are really declining your invitation to an appointment for one (or more) of the reasons above.

So, when an agent tells you she’s “happy”, treat it as a reaction and not as an actual objection.